Generally, a vacuum cleaner generates a suction force for picking up dirt and debris, such as dusts and other particulate matter. The suction force is created by a flow of air between an intake port and exhaust port and that travels through the interior of the vacuum cleaner.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner 1 creates a suction force by generating a continuous air flow through various constituent parts of the vacuum. The vacuum cleaner 1 uses an electric motor to create an air flow that is directed toward an exhaust port resulting in a pressure drop on the intake side of the motor. This pressure drop creates a suction force, or an air flow, at the intake port that is used to pick up dirt and debris. Dirt and debris suspended in the air flow are carried into the vacuum and pass through a filter or filters as the air flow is exhausted into the atmosphere.
The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a main body 10. A fan 13, rotated by a driving force of a motor, is mounted inside the main body 10 for creating the air flow described above. The intake side of the vacuum includes a suction nozzle 20 connected to the main body 10 by a suction hose 31, a grip portion 32, and an extension pipe 33. These elements are sequentially connected between the suction nozzle 20 and the main body 10 for guiding the air flow with foreign matters drawn through the suction nozzle 20 into the main body 10.
The air which is drawn to inside of the main body 10 of the vacuum cleaner 1 passes through dust collecting bag 11 that filters the dirt and debris from the air as it migrates through the vacuum. Once filtered, air is then exhausted through a plurality of exhaust holes 14 formed at rear of the main body 10. An air exhaust filter 15 is mounted at an inner part of the main body 10 across the plurality of exhaust holes 14 to collect fine dusts contained in the air exhausted through each of the plurality of exhaust holes 14.
To promote ease of movement, the main body 10 has a plurality of wheels 16 that are rotatably mounted on both sides of the main body 10. The mounting structure of each of the wheels 16 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each of the wheels 16 is connected to the main body 10 using a combination of supporting elements. As shown in the drawings, each of the plurality of wheels 16 include a hook 16a, formed near the center rotational axis of the wheel 16, and a projected locking portion 10a, for mounting the hook 16a thereto, that is formed at the outer surface of the main body 10.
However in conventional vacuum cleaners, the aforementioned wheels 16 are merely used for the sole purpose of facilitating the easy movement of the main body 10, and do not have any other functions.
Additionally, the air exhaust filter 15 must be frequently replaced with a clean filter to ensure that dirt and debris trapped in the filter does not impede air flow created by the vacuum. In a conventional vacuum, it was quite cumbersome for a user to replace the air exhaust filter which requires the user, in some systems, to disassemble the entire vacuum cleaner for replacing the air exhaust filter.
Further, while the functions and designs of a vacuum cleaner have been recently improved, the aesthetic appearance has not. In particular, the plurality of exhaust holes 14 formed at rear of the main body 10 are visually unappealing because of user perception that the air inside the vacuum cleaner is exhausted thereto.